Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Four Tournaments, Four Continents

The Challenger Tour has spread its wings far and wide this week, with four events being played over the next seven days, ranging across four different continents.

Action comes from Colombia, France, Iran and the United States, with all four events allowing restricted entries, to those players residing in the countries that the tournaments are being held.

The draws in Colombia and Iran feature players solely from those nations, while the tournaments in France and the United States have a slightly more international feel to them.

Cognac Open
One of two Challenger 10 level tournaments this week takes place in France, with the Cognac Open being held at Squash La Belle Allée, with a strong field in action.

Five of the world’s top 75 are in the draw, including World No.44 Victor Crouin, who has won his last two events on the Challenger Tour. On both occasions, he downed Lucas Serme, the World No.36, who is the top seed for this tournament.

World No.50 Benjamin Aubert and World No.62 Sebastian Bonmalais will also be aiming high for this week’s event, while Japan’s Ryosei Kobayashi, the World No.72, is the only non-Frenchman in the draw.

Life Time City Center Men’s Open Presented By NH Specialists
The second Challenger 10 level event takes place in Houston, United States, where 24 men hailing from eight different nations will be aiming to take home the title.

Egypt, England, France, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan will all be represented, along with 11 Americans featuring on home soil at the Life Time City Center in downtown Houston.

World No.58 Shahjahan Khan will be the top seed for the event, while Jamaica’s Christopher Binnie, Englishman Lyell Fuller and USA’s Faraz Khan, all inside the top 100 in the World Rankings, will be the top four seeds for the event.

Nigerian No.1 Babatunde Ajagbe, who led his country at the 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championships, will feature, along with four juniors. Three of those are Americans, in Vandrick Inman-Benavente, Omar Cochinwala and Arsalan Saeed, who will all be playing in just their second events on Tour.

Squash Colombia Challenger
Just over 2,000 miles south of Houston lies Bogota, where the Squash Colombia Challenger will take place this week, a Challenger 5 level event.

Only players from the nation will be taking part in the tournament, with World No.76 Juan Camilo Vargas the top seed for the event, and the only player inside the top 100 in the rankings taking part.

Ronald Palomino and Erick Herrera, both members of the Colombian quartet at the 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championships, will also be in action.

Commemoration of the Martyrs of the Iranian Navy Army
Last but not least, there is also a Challenger 5 level event taking place in Iran this week, the Commemoration of the Martyrs of the Iranian Navy Army in Tehran.

The 24-strong field is an all-Iranian draw, with World No.391 Sajad Zareian Jahromi the top seed. He will be aiming to win his second title on Tour.

Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

The Cognac Open will be live-streamed. You will be able to watch the action on the Squash Cognac La Belle Allee Facebook page.

This Week’s Schedule
Commemoration of the Martyrs of the Iranian Navy Army: Thursday 25 – Saturday 27
Life Time City Centre Men’s Open Presented By NH Specialists: Thursday 25 – Sunday 28
Squash Colombia Challenger: Thursday 25 – Sunday 28
Cognac Open: Friday 26 – Sunday 28